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| San Vicente Weekender December 4-6, 2009 |
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By Cesar Tamez, M.D.
Our small group consisting of my wife Rosy, my daughter Laura, who is a dentist, her friend Korina, who is also a dentist, and Laura’s three boys (Isaac, 14, Cesar, 10, and Max, 5) arrived at Santo Tomas full of excitement to be able to serve our Lord together. We met up with Dave and Lynne Johnson, missionaries with Mexican Medical who have their base in San Vicente, 60 miles south of Ensenada, and their “Angels”, 10 young ladies from San Vicente who serve God with the Johnsons. Today, there are five angels to serve with us in Santo Tomas, 20 miles south of Ensenada. Another group, Manos Con Alas, headed up by chiropractor Dr. Michael Budincich from Southern California, came with two dentists, an orthodontic student, and two more chiropractors. Pastor Phil from San Diego had also arrived, as well as Buky & Theresa from Clinica La Esperanza in the San Quintin Valley. Wow! This was a tremendous group of 23 people with great desires to share the love and message of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our first step in this trip, in which we served with Mexican Medical Ministries, is Santo Tomas. This Friday, December 4 we were in a tomato packing plant known as “El Consuelo”(The Comfort). Our challenge is how to bring the true comfort of the Lord to these souls.
We set up the mobile dental unit with two dental chairs, a medical consultation room, and a pharmacy, an area for glasses, and two tables for the chiropractors, and then put our hands to work. We attended to about 65 people and gave away 132 services. Above all, we shared the gospel and several received Christ in their heart. Four hours after setting up, we packed everything and headed south for the hour-long ride to San Vicente. We greeted one another and sat down to a supper of delicious sandwiches to hear the plan for the next day. We thanked God for the souls that we had contact with and we heard the first of the devotions that our brother in Christ, Phil, gave.
Saturday, December 5 was a precious day. We ministered at the clinic base there in San Vicente. It was a good day as we saw over 100 people who came for consults. We saw the hand of God, the all-powerful, in various forms. The Holy Spirit made himself present in the group devotions and especially with some patients that came with great needs. I’d like to share with you the story of Josefina.
Josefina Vidal is a 29-year-old woman with two children of 5 and 7 years of age. Her husband, who is 31 years old, is in rehabilitation after 10 years of using drugs. She came for a consultation on Saturday, December 5 at the clinic in San Vicente. She complained of severe and persistent abdominal pain that she had suffered from for 3 ½ years. After various clinical questions, the Holy Spirit directed me to question her about the state of her emotions and life experiences. Immediately she told me in a very tired tone that for 3 ½ years she had been carrying around a lot of bitterness. It was 3 ½ years ago that her husband started to blame her because they couldn’t have any more children.
What had happened was that when she had her second baby, seeing her husband’s severe drug addiction and irresponsibility, she decided, without consulting him, to have surgery so that she wouldn’t be able to have any more children. Now, he has repented of what he had done and left the drugs. He is now a good father and husband, a worker and very responsible. He desires to have more children and Josefina also desires to have more children.
Seeing the root of bitterness in her and the well of hopelessness that she was living in, I presented her with Christ, the only person who can fill us and give us all joy and contentment in the midst of all circumstances, trials and tribulations. I let her know that children are a marvelous fountain of joy in life. We can give thanks to the Lord for the decision that she made to not have more children because the majority of families on this earth today decide to have only a couple of children so that they can give them the care and parental attention that a loved child requires to grow up emotionally and spiritually healthy. I told her that if she had 5, 6, or 7 children she would be so tired that she wouldn’t be able to take good care of them or much less direct them in the way of the Lord. I told her of the love of the Lord for her and her family. He is the only source of spiritual and emotional health, joy, and freedom from guilt. I told her that this same Lord is reconstructing her family. She responded that although she knew little of the Lord, she was sure that it was God who had intervened in the life of her husband so that he could quit drugs and be responsible for his family. With genuine repentance and many tears in her eyes, Josefina prayed the prayer of repentance. One hour later when her husband came in for his consultation I guided him back to the Lord. Later they confirmed to me that the Lord was giving a new life, that they were now united in the Spirit and believing that God had finally rescued them to give them joy and a different life.
How beautiful and glorious it is to participate in the health and salvation that God is bringing to humanity. There is no greater experience and joy than this. I give thanks to God for his perfect plan. The plan includes you, who read this and help us with prayers and finances. We are happy to bring the grace of God to the people that need it. This is a plan that was initiated in the first place by the Holy Spirit who talks to people before we do. Thank you, brothers and sisters, for working with us in the expansion of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. May He also bless you with all the grace in this season of celebration of His glorious advent to earth.
With a kind brotherly hug,
Cesar Tamez.
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